Queensland farmers fear a $35 million climate change project will devalue productive land.The new Sunshine Coast council will be briefed on the project after local government elections.
Some say they are prepared to launch legal action to protect land their families have owned for generations, while others fear "intimidation tactics" will force them to sell.About 200 members of the newly formed Maroochy River Farmers and Landowners Association have vowed to campaign against Blue Heart until their concerns about potential adverse effects on private land are addressed.
"There's no empathy shown for the farmers and it comes back to 'oh they're a fairly unintelligent lot, we'll just ride roughshod over them'," said Terry Cook, son of the late cane industry stalwart Stewart Cook.Hans Savimaki, whose family has owned cane land at Bli Bli since the 1940s, says the council sees farmers as an "easy target".
Federal Member for Fairfax Ted O'Brien said he was "very concerned that farmers and other long-term residents are reporting that this project impinges on their rights".